A leading bishop has been criticised after publicly denouncing Prince
William’s engagement to Kate Middleton and predicting that their marriage
will only last for seven years.

The Rt Rev Pete Broadbent, the Bishop of Willesden, chastised the “nauseating tosh” surrounding the announcement and likened the Prince and his fiancée to “shallow celebrities”.

He said the Royal Family was full of “broken marriages and philanderers” and expressed disappointment that the wedding would cost the public “an arm and a leg”.

Bishop Broadbent’s comments, made on his Facebook page, provoked anger and embarrassment amongst Church of England members and MPs.

Canon Peter Bruinvels, a Synod member and former Tory MP, said: “This is deeply disappointing and disrespectful. The Bishop should be reminded that we are an estab­lished Church in which the Monarch plays an integral role.”

The Bishop’s immediate superior, the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, is a close friend of the Prince of Wales and sources have suggested that he may be asked to conduct the wedding service.